@servaas, strange..shame.....ive tried 8 of the same ts555 with no problems...in fact ive just built 4 complete boards ready to go in boxes..and all are tested and fine..so i dont see what the problem can be... 
Did you build the vero layout?
no..i made some pcb's out of the layout above ^^^^....just because i new i was going to be etching anyway so i made a few.. but its the same as the vero (page 26)
i just had to put a snippet of wire to connect pins 4-5 on the ts555 pcb version.......
on the newest vero version i have designed this on it and it will be ok...the cmos 555 i used in the video was an old ic that i couldnt get anymore.... it came from an old bag of bits donated to me
by a friend who's dad sadly passed on....i tried various models of 555 and cmos was the best for no noise etc..but only had 1 of those.....this is why i had to get the newer ts555cn...but they work the same...apart from the 4-5 connection.
which i think is down to being fed lower power...if you dont feed it lower power it will tick....
which vero did you build....?..the original page 1 version does tick..(which i have removed from my gallery)..this new version (page 26) doesnt ...and is fine. (cmos 555 only )...(ts555cn low powered version is what im using)
http://www.datasheetcatalog.com/datasheets_pdf/T/S/5/5/TS555CN.shtmlnote:
VERY . LOW POWER CONSUMPTION : .100mA typ at VCC = 5V HIGH MAXIMUM ASTABLE FREQUENCY
.2.7MHz PIN-TO-PIN AND FUNCTIONALLY
.COMPATIBLE WITH BIPOLAR NE555 .VOLTAGE RANGE : +2V to +18V .HIGH OUTPUT CURRENT CAPABILITY SUPPLY CURRENT SPIKES REDUCED
.DURING OUTPUT TRANSITIONS .HIGH INPUT IMPEDANCE : 1012 W OUTPUT COMPATIBLE WITH TTL,CMOS
AND LOGIC MOS